The Princess and the Taijutsu Master
by CartoonHappy9413
Summary: The Hidden Leaf's handsome green beast had a first love as a child, long before knowing Sakura Haruno or even Guy-sensei. Only problem, he felt he wasn't good enough for her, a beautiful princess, and settled for only being her best friend. But what of her feelings? Find out in this Rock Lee and OC pairing fanfic!
1. 1 The History of the Kagami Province

The Village Hidden in the Leaves is known for its many good relations with neighboring villages. But in a world dominated by the shinobi, peace is a fleeting state. Bitterness and hatred are the sparks that set the flames of war. War that brings destruction, to nations and people alike.

In anticipation of the First Shinobi World War, the First Hokage, Lord Hashirama Senjuu, was in great need of supplies as well as a safe haven for the civilians of the Leaf to take refuge. He took it upon himself to search across the lands for the resources he desperately needed. What he stumbled upon was beyond his expectations.

Upon boarding a ship in the southern coast of the Land of Fire and traveling by sea for a while, he stumbled upon a landmass he first confused as a simple island, but upon setting foot on land, it shocked him to behold and entire province, adorned with multitudes of cities and villages. The Province was beautiful beyond imagination. Roses and other flowers glittered the plains with lovely shades of gold, red, and white. The rivers, lakes, and streams were so clear and cool, shimmering blue against the clear sky. Lord Hashirama bent down to touch the water in the stream.

"The water is beautiful, isn't it," called a voiced just a few feet away.

Lord Hashirama halted his hand and looked up to view a man standing before him. This man was tall and handsomely dressed. He wore a white tunic with an intricate gold pattern embroidered along the seams of the collar and sleeves. A gold sash draped from his left shoulder down to his right hip and his black pants fell just above his feet. He wore brilliant gold jewelry studded with various gemstones. There was no doubt of this man's wealth.

The Hokage stood to his feet and bowed before the man. "I apologize for my intrusion. You must be a resident of this land. My name is Hashirama Senjuu, and I am the protector of the Hidden Leaf Village, the Hokage. I come in search of an alliance."

The man smiled and bowed in turn. "You are quite welcome here, Lord Hokage," He began. "I knew you were coming this way and came to welcome you in person."

The Hokage looked up in confusion.

"I am aware that you had no prior knowledge of this land upon setting foot here. This place is the Kagami Province, a land known for its clear waters that reflect the blue sky as clearly as a mirror and more natural treasures than most can believe And I am Saburo Okura, ruler of this fair land."

When he heard the word "ruler", Lord Hashirama's bow deepened. This didn't escape the king's attention.

"Please, raise your head, Lord Hokage," he stated with a kind smile. "You are my guest, so there is no need to be so formal. Come, let me escort you to the palace. We shall rendezvous with my wife Kagami and discuss things in more detail."

Lord Hashirama explained how upon establishing the system of one shinobi village per country, he had received a grave threat upon all nations. Hashirama feared for the safety of his people and searched for help. Queen Kagami took the hand of her husband and looked at him, sympathy reflected in her amethyst eyes. With her beauty and gentle disposition, it was no question that it was a wise decision to name their kingdom after her.

King Saburo knew exactly how the Hokage felt. His kingdom has only been established for a few years, and yet he felt the desire to protect every villager as if they were family. He listened attentively to Hashirama's plea, all while formulating a means of assisting the Leaf without putting his own people in danger's way.

The king rose from his seat and walked to the stained glass window on his left.

"Yes, your highness?" Lord Hashirama asked.

"I truly wish to help you and your country, Lord Hashirama. War brings needless destruction. This is why since I established my rule on this land, I vowed this land would not participated in wartime affairs. We have had other rulers from other nations come here in the hopes of forming a military alliance, only to be turned down."

"But this case is different. I have heard much of the Leaf and the honorable doctrine by which Leaf ninja adhere themselves to, which is why I am willing to make an exception. However..."

"You fear for the safety of your people as well, don't you, Lord Okura?"

The king could only nod. His wife rose and went to him, gently grabbing hold of his arm. Silence once again fell. The queen's eyes lit up as an idea came to her. "I think I have an idea," she spoke up.

The two men looked at the queen. "There is a powerful secret technique that has been in my family for generations. We can create a cloaking force field around the entire province. This can shroud the land so that the province seems to not exist and anyone who tries to intrude cannot penetrate the force field without permission from the caster. But there is a catch."

"Please, continue, malady," Hashirama pleaded.

"In order to cast this jutsu, an immense amount of chakra must be used, and to keep the jutsu in effect, more chakra needs to be sacrificed to replenish its power. I am the only one who knows how to perform this jutsu, and I do not have that kind of chakra. However, if you two were to aid me, that just might be enough to produce a powerful force field to shield the land."

"So what you're saying is that you could teach us the jutsu and the three of us use our combined chakra to power the force field?" her husband inquired.

"Yes. And once the land is secure, we can give resources to the Leaf and no one could harm our people. With permission, Leaf villagers who are not shinobi can come here and wait out the war in safety."

The three agreed to this arrangement, and Lady Kagami began sharing the technique with King Saburo and Lord Hashirama. As she had predicted, the jutsu took all three of them to cast. Needless to say, they all needed rest upon the jutsu's completion. Once the force field was thoroughly inspected, the deal was formally struck. The king and queen prepared a ship for the Hokage to board back to the Leaf, and they said their goodbyes. They would meet again come wartime.

As promised, the Kagami Province provided the resources needed for the Leaf's victory. Many civilians were moved to the province for safe keeping. With their alliance in effect, the war came to an end. However, as time stretched on, many people began to forget about the land that beautiful and any written record of the province was destroyed or abandoned over time. It seemed the memory of the gorgeous Kagami Province was lost forever.


	2. 2 The Beginning of Heartache

**OK! Sorry about the short, and seemingly unimportant, first chapter. That was just to provide some history on my OC's homeland. It will be more important as the story goes on! Let's begin with the real story, shall we?**

A year before the incident of the Nine tails in the Hidden Leaf, the king of the Kagami province, Lord Rasame Okura, became a father. His loving wife Mira gave birth to a beautiful pair of twins, first a girl, then a boy. The twins took after their mother in almost every way; they had her shiny black hair, eyes the color of chocolate, and a smile that could melt hearts.

The firstborn, the daughter, was named Kenya, and her brother was given the name Makaro. Rasame put an arm around his wife and squeezed her gently, a warm smile stretched across his smile. He couldn't be prouder.

"They're beautiful," he finally said, leaning to kiss his bride's cheek. "Just like their mother."

"And their father, too," she giggled.

Rasame gently took his newborn daughter in his arms. According to the traditions of the Okura clan, the eldest child of the monarch, regardless of gender, is to be the heir to the throne. It seemed a bit unbelievable to him that this sweet, tiny baby would grow up to one day be a powerful queen of a beautiful land. He held the little princess closer to him and made a silent vow.

"To you, my daughter, I swear to protect you and your brother from anything that harms you. I will do all that I possibly can to guide you, not only to be a just queen, but to also be a wonderful, kind woman, an inspiration to all who meet you. These, and so much more, I wish for you."

The twins grew in size and in character. Kenya's raven hair grew very long, going almost to her knees, her eyes shined with energetic curiosity, her smile set entire rooms alight and her laughter lifted the saddest of hearts. Makaro was a quiet boy with a serious personality, not as boisterous as his sister, but just as polite. He did everything he was told, never a complaint or sigh. He could always be found at his father's side throughout most of the day, Kenya with her mother. It seemed all was peaceful in the royal house, however, this peace was not to last forever.

Ironically, it all happened on the loveliest of days. The twins were six years of age, and as usual, Rasame was very busy with his royal duties. But with his young son by his side, he didn't feel so frustrated. Whenever he felt on the verge of breaking, Makaro would place his hand on his father's arm, a calm but concerned look adorning his face.

"I'm all right, my son," the king would say, ruffing the boys soft black hair.

"Don't work yourself too hard, Father. Mother will worry," Makaro would reply with a gentle smile.

That smile was enough to calm the busy king's heart. The past six years were the best for him. Married to a beautiful, kind woman who isn't afraid to speak her mind, having two beautiful children with that woman, and watching those children grow into adorable, well-behaved young individuals; there was not a single thing he could complain about when he thought of them, his beloved family, the most important thing in his entire world.

Queen Mira had the whole day planned out for her and young Kenya. She planned to take her daughter to the southern plains of the province to show her the beautiful apple orchards in the village of Ringobara. They would admire the trees adorned with apples that shimmer gold and ruby red in the sunlight and bathe in the warm spring air as they enjoyed a delicious picnic.

"Mother! Mother!" the young princess called out to her mother as she ran closer.

"Kenya, dear, please be careful or you'll fall!" Mira called, but just as she completed her sentence, Kenya tripped and landed face first to the ground. She ran over to her daughter and helped her up. "Oh, are you alright, sweetie?"

"I- I'm ok, Mother," Kenya assured her mother, smiling but clearly holding back a few tears. She rose to her feet and patted the dirt off her skirt. "Anyway, I'm sorry for being reckless. I was just excited to show you this." She pulled out a chained made from an assortment of colorful flowers weaved together. "I made this for you. It's a flower crown!"

"Oh darling, it's beautiful," her mother replied, taking the gift from her daughter's hands and placing it over her short cut hair. She wrapped her arms around the young girl and hugged her tight. "Thank you very much. Now, come along, we had better hit the road."

The two mounted up their belongings onto the horse-drawn carriage and once the two were on board, the queen politely signaled the coachman to get the horses moving. The young princess pulled out another flower chain from her bag and placed it on the coachman's head. He turned to the girl and was greeted with a warm smile. He nodded to her in thanks.

Kenya's eyes widened as she beheld the beautiful land before her as they passed by. "It's so pretty, Mother!" she exclaimed.

"It is, indeed. But no where as pretty as the princess of this fair land," Mira replied.

The princess's face lost its glow of wonderment and she hung her head.

"What's wrong, dear?"

"Um...I….Mother, do you really think I have what it takes? I mean, I don't really know means to be a princess or anything like that. The whole idea seems kind of scary."

Mira knew exactly how her daughter felt. Back when she, a poor girl from the slums, became the love interest of a young prince Rasame, she too had doubts about what it meant to rule over a kingdom. But now look at her, a queen who has served the land for almost 7 years and mother to a handsome prince and a beautiful princess. If she could handle this job, there is no doubt that Kenya could as well.

"My dear sweet Kenya, you have nothing to fear." Her words made her daughter lift her head and stare quizzically. "I know how the thought of ruling an entire kingdom, seemingly on your own, seems terrifying. Trust me, I was exactly where you are back when your father proposed to me. But I didn't grow up the way you did, in a royal household, so I didn't have any idea how to act. I was even worried that my way of breathing was improper. But I did it, and if I can do it, so can you."

"I….I still don't know."

Mira took the crown of flowers from her head and placed it upon Kenya's. "You're still a child, my dear. It's ok that you don't understand now. But I know that in time, you will become a wonderful, beautiful queen. I have faith in you; you are your father's daughter, after all."

Kenya's warm brown eyes regained their shimmer of wonder from her mother's words. Maybe Mother was right. Maybe, just maybe, she could be as great a queen as Mother. All she needed was time, and at six, she had all the time in the world.

The royal ladies were so busy chatting and taking in the view, they didn't see a flash of black that swooped past them, slashing the coachman's neck. Blood sprayed in all directions, they screamed in horror and the horses became spooked and broke free from the reigns, leaving the queen and princess stranded with the dead body.

"M-Mother, I'm scared! What's going on?!"

Mira did all she could calm her daughter, a difficult task since she was just as afraid. Wrapping the frightened girl in her arms, she called out, "Who goes there? Show yourself!"

With a low chuckle, a group of three rogue ninja emerged from the shadows. They all wore masks, save for one, who Mira assumed to be the leader. A massive burn scar stretched across the face of the unmasked man. "My, my, I heard the queen was one to always speak her mind, but who would guess she'd be this feisty? Just look at that face she's making."

Mira's face was indeed twisted into a scowl. No one was going to lay a hand on her daughter, not so long as she had breathe in her body.

"I would advise you turn around and leave us at once," the queen snarled.

"My apologies, your highness, but I'm afraid that won't be happening," the rogue said, bowing sarcastically. "You and your daughter here are our meal tickets to fortune."

"You are a fool. There is a tracking justu placed upon me; it will not take long for my husband to send for help. Oh, and if you lay a finger on my daughter, you will regret it."

"Oh, really know? Well then.."

A rogue came from behind and pried Kenya from her mother's embrace. She screamed as she was roughly pulled away. Mira got to her feet, pulled a small dagger from inside her dress, and lunged at her daughter's captor. Another ninja grabbed her by her wrists and held her back. She struggled with all her might, stomping her feet on the ninja's, flailing her arms and yelling for help.

The ninja, annoyed, tried to regain his grip, carelessly placing a hand close to her face. The queen opened her mouth and bit down on his hand as hard as she could. The ninja yelped in pain. The blood was bitter in her mouth.

"Why, you!" The ninja, blinded by rage, pulled out his sword with his free hand, pushed Mira slightly forward, and plunged the sword in to her back. Her grip on his hand laxed as the blood-covered sword gleamed from her chest. Kenya's whole body shook; slowly her mouth opened in horror, she took a deep breath, and let out a deafening, blood curdling scream that vibrated its way back to the castle, where it found her father's ears.

"That sounded like…..oh, no! Guards, ready the horses and head south!"

"Father, what's going on? Was that Sister who screamed?"

"There isn't any time to explain, Makaro! We must go now; your mother and sister are in danger!"

The king took his son in his arm and raced to the palace gates, mounted on his horse, and rode to find his wife and daughter.

Kenya's scream did not lose frequency or volume for a whole minute. The rogue ninja covered their ears, shouting from the pain. That's when the princess's consciousness went black. She fell to her knees and became eerily silent. Once their ears stopped ringing, the ninja moved closer towards the girl, only to me blasted with a powerful surge of chakra that radiated from her. The chakra glowed a faint gold around her body.

"You...you little!" The unmasked man charged toward her, only to stop just a few inches away. He caught a glimpse of her eyes, which were no longer the sweet shade of brown. They were now yellow, with slanted pupils, like a cat. "Wh- What are you?!"

When King Rasame finally made it to scene, he was shocked at the bloody reception he received. The rogue ninja all lay dead, his daughter passed out, his wife impaled by a sword; his wife…

"Mira! Kenya!" he shouted as he ran to them. Makaro was assisted off the horse, for he was too horrified to get off on his own. "Mother…..Sister….." he mumbled as he forced his legs to walk closer.

Kenya's eyes fluttered open, her head pounding with pain as she arose. She looked around, confused, scared. Her eyes fell upon the form of her mother, and she froze. Her gaze finally broke when she felt her father's hand on her shoulder. "Father, I….I don't know what happened….I-." She couldn't hold it in, she began to cry. Her brother moved to her side and held her close.

"Ra...same?" the queen softly called, blood dripping down the side of her mouth. Her family quickly encircled her, her husband gently lifting and holding her. Holding back sickness, he pulled the sword out of her body, she cried out in pain and coughed more blood.

"Mira, please, hold on. We will get you help," the king desperately begged.

"Rasame….Kenya….Makaro…." She looked at the worried faces looking to her, the faces of all she loved. The man who stole her heart and made her the woman she was, a queen, a wife, and a mother. The son and daughter who brought so much light into her world. "I'm...sorry. I don't think...I'm going to make it…"

"Mother, no, don't say that!" The twins yelled simultaneously.

"Mira…" Rasame's voice was shaking

"It's all right. Don't...be sad. I have lived...a great life. I have all of you. I'm so...grateful.." Her sight drew darker. It was time. "I love all of you...more than anything.." And then, she was gone.

**WOOOW! This ran a little longer than I had anticipated! But hey, at least we got the major beginning of the story in. I hope you all enjoyed, I will get the next chapter up as soon as possible.**


	3. 3 First Encounters

**OK OK, PLEASE DON'T BE ANGRY! I know its been a while. Life got in the way, but I hope you all enjoy it anyway. Here we go!**

The twins were never the same after their mother's funeral. For about a month, Kenya would rarely leave her room, and when she did she would only walk around lifelessly. Her dazzling smile was hidden beneath a bitter frown. Her eyes lost their curious shimmer. This change in behavior did not go unnoticed, especially not by her brother. Though he was sad himself, Makaro could not bear to leave her alone. She rarely left his sight for very long. She didn't seem to mind, though it was more like she didn't care. Her every movement seemed ignorant of the world around her, and that worried Makaro more than anything.

With his son acting as a bodyguard to his sister, Rasame's work became more stressful than usual. Dark circles formed under his eyes, his skin was drained of healthy color; the king was an absolute. He still had a kingdom to rule, regardless of losing his beloved wife and his children not being able to turn to him for comfort. Defeated, he folded his arms on his desk, laid his weary head down and let go of his hold on the tears he was holding back.

"Mira….I am so lost…." he muttered to himself, choking on sobs.

One year later, the king decided to have his children trained in the ninja arts. He was able to get in contact with his friend and former pupil, Might Guy. While the royal twins were to stay in the Leaf, it would be Guy's duty to look after them in their father's place. He was more than happy to agree to this; the last time he saw the twins was on the day of their birth, so it would be nice to see how those cute babies have grown over the years.

Guy anxiously waited at the village gate for Rasame and the twins. Along the horizon he could see the form of a carriage surrounded by horse-mounted guards gradually get closer.

"Must be them," he said to himself.

When the carriage reached the gates, the closest guard opened the side door. The king was the first to step out. Makaro followed him and stopped near the door to help his lethargic sister out of the wagon. Her eyes were glazed over and dark circles laid heavily underneath them. Concern for the girl welled up inside Guy's breast.

"Guy, I am glad to see you again," Rasame said as he clasped Guy's extended hand in his own, then reached his opposite arm around his friend's shoulder. The ninja returned the gesture. "I only wish this meeting had a happier purpose."

"Don't worry about it. This is what is best for the children's safety. You're doing the right thing."

"I hope you're right."

"Besides, its been so long since I've seen them. They've gotten so big! Speaking of which, is Kenya all right? She seems...unwell..."

"Lately, Sister hasn't been able to get much sleep. She doesn't eat much, either," Makaro answered. "It's probably stress."

"I'll be ok….don't worry about me..," Kenya muttered softly, still in a zombie-like state.

Their father breathed deeply before speaking. "All right, from this day on, you two will be under Guy-sensei's care. Behave yourselves and do as you are told."

"Yes, Father," they replied.

"You will also have my most trusted guard to watch over you: Junkuro." He gestured to the man upon a large black horse. He had brown hair, green eyes, and tan skin adorned with burns and scars that stretched along his arms, chest, and face.

"Oh, and before I forget..." Rasame moved over to a covered compartment of the wagon. Makaro looked at him in wonder, since before the journey they were told not to snoop around the compartment. What his father pulled out from the secret box made his eyes widen with wonder. Two large felines were curled up in his father's arm, one pure black and the other orange with black stripes. A panther and a tiger cub?!

"These are yours to train as your ninja companions. The tiger is yours, son, and the panther is for your sister. It won't be easy, but I trust you two capable of earning their trust. Big cats have been companion animals of our clan for generations."

Kenya finally turned her head to look at her father. As she did, she locked gazes with the black panther cub. A glimmer of life finally appeared in her once lifeless eyes. The cub jumped out of the kings arm and moved to her, purring and rubbing against her leg.

"Looks like he's taken a liking to you," her father chuckled. He and his son were glad to see a smile form on her lips as she bent over to pet the cub at her feet.

A month later, the twins entered the ninja academy. Of course, as new students, they received attention both good and bad. Boys were too intimidated to talk to her and girls were too jealous so they ignored her. Once it was time for flower arranging, Kenya could hear the other girls talking about her. Most of it was about just about how they perceived her.

"Who does she think she is?"

"I don't get why the boys are all gaga over her."

"She wouldn't last out in the battlefield!"

"Her parents are complete morons enrolling her. She will never be a ninja."

At that, she got to her feet and ran away, tears in her eyes. The teachers called for her, but she paid them no attention; she simply continued to run, hoping to outrun the pain in her heart. Her blind wandering lead her to a patch of forest just passed the training grounds, where an exposed tree root caused her to trip and fall face-first in the dirt. Holding back the flood of tears was futile. She rose until she was on all fours, crawled to the nearest tree, and sat against it, her crying face hidden behind her knees as she hugged her legs.

She was completely unaware that she was followed into the forest. In her attempt to escape the persecution she faced earlier, she passed the training field, which was vacant save for one person. A boy, about her age, with shiny black hair that was tied in a long braid down his back, round eyes with pronounced lashes and very prominent, thick eyebrows. He was hesitant at first, but he was filled with worry over the poor girl crying in the woods alone, so he walked over until he was facing her.

"Um...are you okay?" The sound of another person's voice made Kenya flinch in surprize. She lifted her head to look at the boy standing before her. Her eyes were red, still heavy with tears. She said nothing.

"S-sorry! I-I...I did not mean to follow you here, b-but I saw you run this way a-and you looked so upset and I could not just leave a girl alone here in the forest and, and…" He nervously mumbled. But he quickly fell silent at the sight of her face. She was definitely the cutest girl he had ever seen. Though they were red and puffy, her brown eyes radiated a warm tenderness, and they entranced him for a moment. She wiped her face, he regained his composure and he opened his mouth to speak again.

"My name is Rock Lee. Are you alright?" he asked with a gentle tone.

"Y-yes...I'm okay…," Kenya finally said. She dusted off her clothes and ran her fingers through her hair. A sharp twinge of pain pierced her forehead, she felt a bump. "I guess I hit my head harder than I thought." Her nose hurt as well.

Lee offered his hand to her to help her to her feet. She took it and she was soon on her feet.

"Thank you...I guess it was a good thing you followed me out here. My name is Kenya," she told him. She was wanting to leave it at just that, but there was a sense of comfort she received just from holding this boy's hand. She let a few tears escape and she told him everything.

The two sat together against the tree. Kenya held Lee's hand tightly as she told the entire story; the attack, her mother's death, the other girl's teasing, everything. Lee's eyes were in wide with shock. The sorrow this poor, sweet girl had to endure, it was no surprise she wanted to run away from the group.

"I...I do not know what to say. I am so sorry," he said to her.

"It's fine," she said with a sniff. "It happened some time ago. Though, talking about it with someone...I feel so much better. Thank you, Lee, and I'm sorry for telling you so much, especially after we've just met."

"Do not worry about it," he replied with a confident grin. "I am glad I could help. It is a hero's duty to come to the aid of a damsel in distress!" He clutched his hand into a fist and puffed out his chest. She giggled at his display.

"But more important than that: a shinobi should be there to help a fallen comrade."

"True, true," she replied. Her face flushed pink as a thought came to her head. "Hey, Lee...I was wondering….does this mean we're….friends?"

His face took on the same pink hue. "Oh, um….if you would like to be friends...I have no problems with that."

They looked at each other for a while, and they smiled. Those smiles soon turned into laughter. Kenya's troubled heart was somehow lightened now that she had someone to count on, someone she could call a friend. They both finally rose to their feet, for it was getting dark, and they went their separate ways. Silent as death, Makaro glared at the scene from the trees, where he was lurking the entire time.

**SOOO glad to finally have this done. I'm sorry you guys. I got distracted with visiting family and college starting back up. I can't promise when the next chapter will be up, but I will do my best. Wish me luck!**


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